Category Archives: dinner

I only discovered Green Bean Casserole in college. It was not a thing in my house during Thanksgiving. I also am pretty sure I ate it in the Spring and so every summer when I see green beans in season at the farmers market, I need to make it.

However, I used to make it with a can of soup and that isn’t super healthy so I scoured the internet for a healthier recipe and I found one from How Sweet Eats that I LOVE and have been making a few times a year over the last year. You should too.

Lighter Green Bean Casserole(adapted only slightly from How Sweet Eats)

3. While onions are caramelizing, boil a large pot of water. Once boiling, add green beans and cook for 5 minutes, then drain and run cold water over top, letting sit in the sink to air dry and until you’re ready to use.

4. Once onions are caramelized, remove with kitchen tongs and set aside in a bowl. Add butter to skillet, then add chopped mushrooms and toss well to coat. Cook for 6-8 minutes until juicy/soft.

5. Add in the garlic and the caramelized onions, cook for 30 seconds.

6. Increase heat to medium-high and sprinkle the flour over top. Stir well to coat and distribute, cook for 2-3 minutes.

7. Pour in vegetable stock and milk or half and half. Stirring constantly, let mixture come to a bubble, then let cook for 2-3 minutes until just slightly thickened. You don’t want it TOO thick since it will also cook in the oven. Season with remaining salt, pepper and then stir in 1 tablespoon of parmigiano reggiano. Add green beans and toss well to coat.

8. Cover the top with remaining caramelized onions, italian seasoned breadcrumbs and the remaining tablespoon of parmesan. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until mixture is bubbling and bread crumbs are golden. Serve ASAP!

It is so good with just a piece of baguette or a little salad on the side. I realize I am a broken record… everything tastes better with a salad and or baguette.

I had a half of a head of cauliflower to use and I was really craving mac + cheese. I knew it was time to Google and a Michelle Obama recipe popped up. I guess since it’s political season, this recipe of was appropriate I suppose.

1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente.
2. Steam the cauliflower until soft, about 10 minutes. Immersion blend the cauliflower(or transfer to a blender) along with a few tablespoons of the steaming liquid into a puree the cauliflower. Add more steaming liquid to thin the puree if necessary.
3. In a medium size casserole dish, combine the pasta and hot cauliflower puree. Add the milk, both cheeses, parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter and breadcrumbs with your fingers until it resembles damp sand. Sprinkle across the top of the pasta mixture, then place the dish in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until the top is crispy and the sauce is bubbling.

I was really skeptical about this dish considering I usually make mac + cheese with a delicious cheese sauce. But, It was really good, very quick and easy and I’d make it again.

For the cheeses I used low-fat sharp cheddar and Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar which you MUST RUN TO TRADER JOE’S NOW and get. It is a cross between sharp cheddar and parmesan. Good luck not eating the whole brick!

Back to the dish… the cauliflower taste was there, but it was subtle. Perfect for any vegetable-phobic in your life. Or if you want to trick yourself into eating more vegetables… I don’t think Michelle Obama would be mad.

My Mom left a comment on my latest CSA box that I had all of the ingredients to make ratatouille. I hadn’t even thought of it, but I just got finished making an adapted version of her delicious recipe and IT WAS AWESOME!

3. Add all ingredients except fresh basil. If you don’t have fresh, you can substitute dried basil if you want.

4. Stir over medium to medium low heat and cook covered for about 30 minutes. Stir from time to time. When all vegetables are soft, add the fresh basil. 5-10 leaves, to taste. If you don’t have fresh basil, you have already added the dried basil.

This is good served over brown rice (my favorite) or any type of pasta with a bit of parmesan cheese to un-veganize it. It is usually better the next day, after flavors have blended. AKA ready for you to take in a tupperware for lunch.

Why is this recipe called “thanks for lunch veggies”?? I have no idea. They are roasted veggies, basically. I just know that’s what I’ve been calling them since I learned the recipe in a nutrition class in college. I was once a nutrition major in college, but Chemistry made me turn my nutrition major into a minor; it comes in handy all the time.

This recipe was part of a “low salt” cooking lab. I remember being unenthusiastic… since I love(d) salt. BUT, this was the best recipe I tasted that day loved. I make it all the time.

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 450°
2. Chop the shallots in half (so you have 8 pieces), mince garlic, quarter the potatoes + chop the carrots into .5 inch pieces (chunky) and put in a bowl.
3. Add 1tbsp of olive oil and .5tbsp of marjoram, salt, pepper and mix it up.
4. Pam two baking sheets (or roasting pans). Divide the shallot/garlic/potato/carrots evenly on the two separate pans and roast them for approx 15 mins.
5. Chop the zucchini and red pepper to roughly the same size. Put in a bowl + add .5tbsp olive oil, .5tbsp marjoram, a pinch salt and pepper and mix. Add evenly to the baking pans you’ve just cooked for 15 minutes. Cook for more 15 mins.
6. Add the chopped mushrooms + green beans to the pans and cook for about 10 more minutes or until everything is roasted and cooked.

You can add whatever other veggies you like to these, but the above is my favorite combination. I like to eat these roasted veggies plain, drizzled with vinegar or in a wheat tortilla. I reaaaalllllly like to eat these in a tortilla with melted mozzarella cheese on top (as is pictured above), which ruins their vegan-ness but it’s worth it for me.

The best part about this recipe is that it makes A LOT. Enough for 6 or 7 meals. Go thank someone for lunch, and make these.

1. Pre-heat oven to 350. To prepare the peppers, put a tiny slit in each one and put in microwave for about 2 minutes. This will soften them up and you can put more filling in them. Once they are a bit soft and cooled, cut in half and scoop out the seeds and set aside.

2. Sauté onion and green pepper in a tiny bit of olive oil until well cooked.

3. Combine all ingredients (EXCEPT stuff for topping) in a bowl. It is ok if rice is hot. Mix well. Taste for seasoning.

4. Prepare the topping: mix all with melted butter.

5. Fill the peppers with rice mixture. Pack it down with your hand to get more rice mixture in it. Coat with topping.

6. Bake in Pam’d pie pan or shallow baking dish for about 30-45 minutes at 350 or until peppers are tender and topping is brown.

Feel free to add more or less cheese, vegetables, etc. depending on how much cheese you like.

Well, after googling “too much zucchini” I had to start googling “too many tomatoes.” My plant exploded over the last week and left me with about 4 lbs of tomatoes. The weather has also decided to turn into fall, so a soup was the best idea I could come up with.

I also really love tomato basil soups but have found the canned ones taste awful and the ones in restaurants tend to be a little on the creamy side.

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 400. Toss together the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet (or two) and roast for 45 minutes.
2. In an big stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 1 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 8 minutes–or until the onions start to brown.
3. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and water or stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.
5. Use a hand blender to blend together. Taste for seasonings.

It’s really pretty easy. Especially if you order a stick mixer overnight from Amazon.com like I did. I have held out for years on buying an immersion blender for years, but I urge you to purchase one STAT. Maybe skip the overnight shipping…

This soup needs a little something, maybe a tablespoon of cream or milk, but I’ll let my book club tonight be the judge.

Our “garden” consists of a zucchini plant, a tomato plant and two pepper plants placed in strange spots in our front yard. The zucchini plant is in an especially weird and hidden spot. So hidden that we check it one day and don’t see a thing growing, then a few days later this often happens:(Dollar for scale.)

So, I looked up some recipes. I found you two winners to make a complete dinner. Or late lunch. Or breakfast, if you feel like being in a food coma and/or going right back to bed: Grilled Zucchini Caprese Sandwiches + Zucchini Oven Chips. Both recipes I adapted from Cooking Light.

Zucchini Oven Chips (adapted because they burn at the original recipe temp) The Ingredient List:

1. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. (If you don’t have a grill pan, like me, you can just use a regular pan!)

2. Add 1 teaspoon oil and garlic; toss to coat. Arrange zucchini in grill pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear.

3. Stick zucchini on a plate or dish of some sort. Drizzle with vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. If you think it needs more vinegar, put it on there!

4. Top each roll evenly with zucchini, basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella.

5. Heat the sandwiches in pan until warm (takes about 5 mins). OR if you have a panini maker, use that!

I ate one part of the sandwich open faced, which was awesome. We also used baguette bread since that is all we had, but these would taste the best with the ciabatta bread that Cooking Light recommended. Finally, we dunked the sandwich in more balsamic vinegar, which if you are a vinegar fan makes this sandwich even more delicious.

This was an easy dinner and it was fun to eat a sandwich, which I don’t eat often… mostly because I can’t ever find a sandwich I like. I’m glad I found one, since I’m sure we will find some more surprise zucchini in the “garden.”